Santa Fe Passage (1955)

A disgraced Indian scout and his partner are hired to escort a wagonload of guns through Indian territory.

Director:

William Witney

Writers:

Lillie Hayward (screenplay), Heck Allen (based on Esquire Magazine story by) (as Clay Fisher)

Stars:

John Payne, Faith Domergue, Rod Cameron

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Payne	...	Kirby Randolph
Faith Domergue	...	Aurelie St. Clair
Rod Cameron	...	Jess Griswold
Slim Pickens	...	Sam Beekman
Irene Tedrow	...	Ptewaquin
George Keymas	...	Chief Satank
Leo Gordon	...	Tuss McLawery
Anthony Caruso	...	Chavez

Storyline

Scout and wagon-train guide Kirby Randolph hates all Indians, particularly Kiowa Chief Satank, whose massacre of an entire wagon-train of settlers led by Kirby, has led to his ostracism and neither he nor his pal Sam Beekman can get jobs. Aurelie St. Clair, who owns half of an ammunition shipment for sale in Santa Fe to Mexican insurrectionaries, protests when he partner Jess Griswold hires Kirby and Sam as guides. When Kirby saves them all from a wild horse stampede instigated by Satank, she changes her mind and she and Kirby fall in love, although Kirby does not realize she is half-Indian. Jess, who is also in love with Aurelie and wanting to get rid of Kirby, sends his servant Chavez to Satank offering to deliver Kirby to the Chief in return for safe passage for the wagon train. But, Satank plans to get both Kirby and the wagon train.

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Plot Keywords:

indian chief | damsel in distress | henchman | held at gunpoint | ostracism | 

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Taglines:

The danger trail that only the daring traveled !

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Genres:

Action | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1955 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ruta a Santa Fe

Filming Locations:

Kayenta, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Trucolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Doctor Who: Origins (2006)

User Reviews

Little Too Much Doublecrossing

Some rather questionable character motivations make this particular Republic western something of a mixed bag for me. John Payne's dislike of Indians and his distrust of mixed blood people make it a rough road in courting Faith Domergue who is half Indian.

Santa Fe Passage casts John Payne as a frontier scout who lost his last wagon train going to Santa Fe because of some bad judgment he made about the Kiowas and their chief. Now he and sidekick Slim Pickens can't get a job in their profession and have a lot of people ready to shoot them on sight.

That is until Domergue and her partner Rod Cameron hire them over the objections of Leo Gordon their trail boss. They're taking a shipment of rifles to Mexico for sale and of course that perks up interest among the Kiowas.

There was a little too much doublecrossing and all the males of the cast Payne, Cameron, and Gordon are thinking with their male members and truly beyond reason. Even Slim Pickens gives Domergue more than a second glance. The plot made little sense to me, but the action was pretty good.